


The Interference HD ReMIX

by Newbiespud



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adaptation, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Retelling, Rewrite, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-10-28 19:19:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17793227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newbiespud/pseuds/Newbiespud
Summary: An experimental from-the-ground-up rewrite of The Interference on FanFiction.net.A teenager from the real world brings the game Kingdom Hearts II to life and finds himself living through its events. Naturally, he has great potential to change some events of the story, but he finds that the world also has the power to change him in return.





	1. The 1st Day

****A flash of light, then rushing darkness, then sleep, then the sounds of train tracks rattling too close to the bedroom window.

The boy stirred. He recoiled against the bright light of sunrise streaming through the blinds. But the sound of the train continued, too loud and too persistent to be a product of some inexplicable dream.

The teen sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking away blurriness to see his room. A sense of _d_ _é_ _j_ _à_ _vu_ hung over him like dread, a vague certainty that he had done this too soon before and that there was something wrong this time. It was the light. The light was all wrong.

The train was quieting now, traveling farther away, but the boy's rousing mind latched onto it as the first real conscious thought of the morning. He didn't know his hometown very well, but he knew there were no trains that ran so close to their apartment. This was a fact. So why had a passing train woken him up?

Still in his pajamas, the young man climbed up onto his knees atop the mattress and squinted into the light. He fumbled for the drawstring and pulled them down harshly, making the blinds shoot up with a _zzzzwip!_

Outside the window was no parking lot, no adjacent duplexes, no trees. Just dark orange bricks against a light orange sky, and behind the buildings a long, stone railway bridge. The sun hung low in the sky perpetually. A bell tower started a chime that was audible from every corner of…

"T… T… T-T… Twilight Town?!"

* * *

The boy splashed his face with water from the bathroom sink and stared into the mirror. His own panicked hazel eyes stared back at him, beneath the bangs of his short, dark-brown, combed-forward hair.

"Okay, Alex… Okay," he muttered to himself under his breath. "Outside is Twilight Town. Mom and sis are nowhere to be found. Same with the PS2 and all of your games."

Saying that triggered a fragment of a memory. Sitting down between the foot of the futon and his PlayStation 2. Selecting 'New Game' on Standard Mode. The screen going white, then whiter and brighter in a way that utterly engulfed him…

His jaw hung slightly open at the very thought of it. "I'm… IN… Kingdom Hearts II??"

A dream come true? Sure. But how, why? Where was his family – were they okay? Would he have to fight monsters? Would he get to meet… everyone?

Panic very slowly turned into anticipation. Somehow, his second-story apartment had been apparently transported into Twilight Town. Through the wide glass door in the living room and past the balcony beyond, he could see the alley below and a sliver of the street outside. People were walking by and talking like there was nothing unusual about the building Alex was currently occupying. He certainly hadn't been here an hour ago, but… it didn't look like anyone had noticed.

A part of him made the decision before his conscious mind fully caught up with it: He was going outside.

* * *

Dressed in a navy blue hoodie, light blue jeans, and black sneakers, Alex left the apartment and locked the door with his personal house key. With great trepidation, he turned towards the stairs leading down to the ground floor. His second-story apartment door faced the street, so he could see many, many Twilight Towners passing by.

Alex didn't remember there being this many NPCs in the game.

He watched, almost spellbound, with his head craned towards the street as he robotically made his way down the stairs. At the bottom, where the corner of his building met the dark alley, Alexander bumped into another person carrying a garbage can. The lid bounced off the can and fell to the ground with a loud _clang_ and rattling.

"Ah, sorry!" Alex apologized almost instantly.

But the stranger, an older man, simply smiled and said, "Don't worry. My mistake." He set down the garbage can and, with a grunt, knelt down to pick up the garbage lid. Alex instinctively reached down to help, but there was no need. The old man reclaimed his can and looked up at Alex. A look of recognition seemed to cross his face. "Hey, wait…"

Alex gulped. "Yeah?"

There was a slightly intense moment where the old man studied Alex's face, his wrinkled eyes squinting. Then the old man smiled again and said, "You're that new kid that just moved in, right?"

The boy made a quiet sound of half-panicked, half-relieved confusion, something like, "Uh…?"

The old man looked up at the door to the apartment. "That spot hasn't had someone in it for a while. Heard you were the guy to finally move into it. Well, anyway, lemme be the first to welcome you to Twilight Town!" The stranger extended his hand with a warm smile.

Common sense dictated that he just go with it, so Alex did. He took the old man's hand and shook it, putting on his best awkward smile. Inside, his mind raced. He had 'moved in'? He hadn't 'just appeared out of nowhere'? Alex certainly didn't remember a moving process. His apartment right now was as lived-in (messy and cluttered) as it had always been. Some force had copied his apartment into a new location, right down to the food in the refrigerator, but this old man thought he had just 'moved in.'

Alex realized had been thinking too long. He needed to respond. "Uh, thanks. Uh. Nice meeting you."

The old man mercifully released his hand and picked up his garbage can again. "Yes, well, I'd better be on my way, and you on yours. See you around!"

Alex stood frozen as the old man merged with the foot traffic in the street, then turned to the alley to let out a heavy exhalation of breath. He looked down at his hand, remembering the warmth from the old man's grasp.

It took about a minute to summon his courage and step out into the street, wandering the streets with all the rest of the residents. A few friendly folks said, "Hi," and Alex greeted them back politely as they passed by. Other than that, he was another face in the crowd.

The street soon emptied out into what Alex recognized as the Tram Common, which was a VERY big deal to the young teen. The shops. The tram itself traveling around the center loop. The hill leading up to the train station, and even the long water grate at the base of the hill marking where the zone transition would normally be. All straight out of the game, but in stone and metal and air. He wandered around, spinning to look up at all the buildings, switching between stunned laughter and slack-jawed gasps of awe.

Alex eventually found his way to the red-lined accessory shop, which was currently shuttered. Atop a stepladder next to the store counter, gluing posters up on the wall, was a man in a jacket labeled 'Struggle Coordinator.' There was a stack of posters bound up at the foot of the ladder, and there was a small crowd of younger citizens watching him.

"Oh man, I really want to give it a try," said one unrecognized youth, catching Alex's attention.

"Nah, don't bother," his friend said. "It's basically gonna be a grudge match between Hayner and Seifer, and whoever wins is gonna get clobbered by the champ anyway."

"Aw, c'mon! I mean, you're not wrong, but can't you let a guy dream?!"

The coordinator finished the arrangement of posters on the wall and started to step back down. "Alright everyone, make room, make room…" The crowd dispersed a bit, moving to some other spot to hang out and talk about something else. Alex remained, and he was spotted by the working man. "Oh! Hello there." The man folded up the stepladder and picked up his bundle of posters. "You're the kid that moved in, right?"

Surprised, Alex's eyes widened, and then he let out a short chuckle. "Uh, yeah." Alex rubbed the back of his head and looked off to the side, unable to meet the man's eyes. "I've been getting quite a bit of that."

The coordinator shrugged and walked past the teen, setting down his gear on the other side of the accessory shop. "Well, we don't get many outsiders often." He picked up a poster and climbed up the ladder, then glanced back down at Alex. "Taking in the town? What do you think?"

Alex had to laugh a bit more at that. What did he think of being inside _Twilight Town itself_ brought to life from one of his favorite video games? "It's, uh… It's amazing. Just on every level."

The man laughed back. "Aha, good! We put a lot of work into it." Something suddenly occurred to him. "Do you have any friends in town yet? Some kids your own age?"

Caught off guard by the question, Alex frowned and glanced at the ground as he tried to figure out how to respond.

That told the man everything he needed to know, and he nodded. "Well, whatever you do, don't get caught up in Seifer's little street-tough feuds. But… y'know, Hayner and his gang are decent kids. Despite what people say about 'em."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Despite… huh?"

The man didn't seem to hear him. He pointed towards the street leading up the slope. "If you head up the hill and take the first left, there's a back alley. There's a quiet spot where they usually hang out. Past a gate and through the rags. Everyone knows where it is, so you can ask anyone for directions. Just don't overshoot and head back down into the Sandlot. That's Seifer's turf."

Alex was rather stunned by all this advice and its implications. So far he hadn't met any named characters from the game. But he was just a couple of blocks away from meeting THE Hayner, Pence, and Olette? Could he even keep his cool in that situation? He swallowed and gave the man a smile, stepping backwards towards Station Heights. "Back alley. Right. Thanks."

"No problem! See you around." As the teen turned and power-walked away, the man shouted, "HEY! And if you need some quick munny, you can help me put up… aaaaaand he's gone."

* * *

Would he get to meet Roxas?

That was maybe the big question right there. If Roxas was in the gang, that meant he was in the alternate, digital Twilight Town somehow. But if he wasn't, that meant he was in the… "real" one? What did that word mean anymore?

It wasn't a very long distance at all to reach the little nook and the red curtain covering it. The Usual Spot itself. Alex could almost hear his heartbeat in his ears. He felt a little woozy.

He was here. It was now or never. He stepped forward and pulled back the curtain.

Immediately, there was a face right up in his, so close that they nearly bashed their foreheads together. A grumpy face that was on its way out. Alex flinched back and put his hands up. "Woah, sorry, uh…!"

The boy in front of him stopped, and Alex had to suppress a gasp. Black t-shirt with a sketchy skull on it, gray vest, green camouflage shorts and shoes, even the little X pendant hanging from his neck. This was Hayner alright, in the flesh, just a little more than a foot away from him. Glaring at him. "Well?" he asked gruffly. "What are you doing here?"

Alex put his hands up and bowed his head a little bit to try and defuse the situation. "Just… seeing what was back here."

Hayner rolled his eyes a little bit. "Well, now you know. This is our spot."

"Hey," said a girl's voice behind him in a much friendlier tone, "you're the guy that moved into the apartment on Market Street, right?" Alex peered around to see Olette peering back at him from the ratty couch she was sitting on.

Past Olette, sitting on one of many crates haphazardly piled in the corner, was Pence in his red jersey and matching headband. "Lighten up, Hayner, I think he's just exploring." Pence stood up, dusted himself off, and walked up behind the leader of the group with Olette in tow. "So, are you really the new guy?"

Resisting every urge to geek out, Alex just averted his eyes and laughed defensively. "Wow. Didn't realize I was that famous."

Olette let out a sigh and put a hand to her cheek. "It really shouldn't be, but a new kid moving in is kind of a big deal. It's rare, and…"

Sheepishly, Pence shrugged and said, "There's this whole schoolyard politics thing going on… There's this guy, Seifer, and–"

"Heard of him, yeah," Alex said.

Hayner grit his teeth and muttered, "Don't get me started! Gaaaah." He threw up his hands and folded his arms. "Now you've done it." But he looked at Alex and shook his head, visibly calming himself down. "Ah, but you don't really know anything about that. Sorry for getting up in your face. I was just headed out to clear my head."

Alex shrugged back. "Hey, no problem."

Olette pushed the curtain the rest of the way out and stood beside Hayner, while Pence peered over his shoulder. The three of them couldn't quite fit in the opening, but they tried for the moment. "I'm Olette," she said, "and this is Hayner and Pence."

Nodding, Alex said (with a smile that was a little too broad), "Nice to meetcha. My name's Alexander. But, uh, Alex for short is fine."

Hayner nodded passively and said, "Nice to meetcha, Alex." He made a show of stretching as he walked past him. "Well, if you don't mind…"

Alex watched him walk by, then glanced back at Pence and Olette. "'Schoolyard politics'?"

Pence groaned. "Seifer and his group see themselves as the Twilight Town _'disciplinarians,'_ " he muttered with air-quotes and caustic sarcasm.

Olette folded her arms and shrugged. "And so Hayner's got it in his head that we're the ones who need to stand up to him. Now we're trading off 'scores' to 'settle' and… it's a whole thing." Glancing at Pence, she added, "The two of us kinda get dragged along."

Shaking his head, Pence replied, "It doesn't help with the whole string of thefts lately and Seifer blaming us for that…"

Alex furrowed his brow. "Wait, what?"

"Oh no." Suddenly, Olette brought her hand to her mouth and darted her head back and forth. "Did you see where Hayner went?"

Pence pushed his way past Alex. "Don't tell me he went to the Sandlot by himself!"

Olette followed him, giving Alex an apologetic look as they left the Usual Spot's entrance and towards the downward staircase. "Sorry! We'll hang out later, okay? It was nice meeting you, Alex!" The two of them hurried down the stairs, breathing hard.

Bewildered, Alex followed them to the top of the stairs. From the summit, the empty lot below was just barely visible. A few shapes could be seen clashing. If one listened very closely, the grunts and shouts of two young men clashing was just barely audible.

Alex had a bit of a decision to make. Eventually it was his curiosity that won out, and he carefully made his way down the stairs.

* * *

Staying close to the edge of the building near the stairs, Alex peered around the corner and looked in on the scene at the Sandlot. All seven of the characters he expected to see were there, including Fuu, Rai, Vivi, and Seifer. They were standing off against Hayner's group, trading barbs.

"Who else would steal the undeniable proof of their own defeat?" Seifer sneered. His voice and presence were substantially more intimidating than PS2 graphics could convey. He was taller than most of the others, for one thing, and his outfit conveyed substantially more confidence and swagger. He didn't seem so much of a punching bag anymore.

Olette made a harsh crossing motion with her arm. "You've got no evidence that it was us, so stop throwing around accusations!"

"Yeah, we had stuff stolen too!" Pence insisted.

Seifer returned fire with a cocky shrug. "That's exactly what the thieves would say to throw everyone off their tracks."

"Convenient," Fuu added.

"We ain't fallin' for that, y'know!" Rai shouted.

Hayner balled his hands into fists. "Enough! We're sick and tired of everybody shunning us because of YOUR lies!"

"Stuff's been stolen. You're the prime suspects," Seifer said smugly. "Where's the lie?"

Letting out a growl of frustration, Hayner darted over to one of the benches at the edge of the sand, where a pile of Struggle bats had been assembled. He picked one up and pointed it at Seifer threateningly. "Maybe everyone in town will stop listening if someone smacks you off your pedestal!"

Reacting quickly, Seifer produced his own Struggle bat, pointing it straight back at Hayner. "Oh, so it's Round 2, then? Be my guest!"

Olette put her hands up. "Hayner, wait…!" But she didn't look confident she could stop the fight.

From where he was watching, Alex clenched and unclenched his hands with anxiety. Precious seconds later, when it looked like Hayner was about to start a brawl he wasn't likely to win, Alex stepped out from around the corner and walked quickly towards the gaggle of students.

Pence noticed him first. "Alex?"

Everyone turned to look at him, which was a jarring experience, especially the way Seifer's blue-green eyes locked onto him from across half the lot. "And who's this?" he demanded, keeping his Struggle bat up. "Don't tell me – the new kid."

Alex stopped in his tracks. Why in the world was this a big deal to _everybody_?? Or rather, why didn't this match up with his own experience of just waking up in this world? No, he had to focus… but he had nothing. "Uh…" No plan, no strategy, other than 'get in the way and stall.'

Seifer chuckled and dropped his fighting stance, instead flipping his Struggle bat into the air and catching it with his hand repeatedly, flawlessly every time. "Tell you what. I'm not unreasonable. I'll tell everybody to give you guys a break… IF–" He caught his bat again and, in one smooth motion, pointed it directly at Alexander. "–your new friend here gets on his knees and _begs_."

Everyone on the other side recoiled, not least of all Alex. "What?!" Hayner exclaimed. "No way that's happening!"

Olette looked back to Alex worriedly. "Sorry you got dragged into this… Please, you don't need to do anything, we can handle this."

Alex looked to Hayner, then Seifer, then Pence and Olette, then back to Seifer. He took a deep breath and then walked forward several steps, between Hayner and Olette, moving to the front of the group.

Seifer grinned at him and, with his Struggle bat, gestured down to the sand.

Alex glanced down, then over to the side at the bench where the remaining Struggle bats lay. The plastic and foam bats came in several shapes: The standard full-length bat, the ones with hand-guards, and the staff-like ones. Alex had chosen his preference long ago at this point.

He glanced back at Seifer, then darted over to the bench, grabbing a Struggle bat with a hand-guard and holding it in a defensive stance toward the bully – his body was turned sideways as he held the bat diagonally. The others reacted with surprise, especially Hayner. "Wait, what…?"

Seifer just scoffed at Alex, grinning. "I like this better anyway. Show me what you got, new kid."

The others backed away. Hayner hesitated, but tossed his bat aside and backed away with Pence and Olette. Alex glanced at Hayner, and they shared a nod.

Moments later, Alex and Seifer had the sandy part of the Sandlot to themselves. Alex became suddenly hyper-aware of himself – how hot he felt under the constant orange sunlight and his hoodie, the nerves making his limbs and hands twitch, the way the sand beneath his sneakers never seemed to grant him a firm footing. And yet, despite never once fighting in his life, Alex felt… well, not 'calm' exactly. More like his usual levels of anxiety and nervousness finally felt appropriate – because he was in a battle – and he could at least use it against his enemy.

Seifer waited, keeping his Struggle bat pointed straight forward in a rapier-like pose. "Well? I'm waiting, _chicken wuss_."

Alex took a deep breath and, on the exhale, lowered his head as a healthy dose of rage swelled in his chest. He rolled his shoulders and twirled his Struggle bat once. Then he stepped forward, swinging at the tip of Seifer's bat. The foam 'blades' glanced off each other. Seifer's pose hardly budged, and Alexander's swing turned into a flail as he tried to regain his balance.

Seifer laughed. Alex didn't waste a second longer than it took to find his footing and swung again, this time striking Seifer's hand. Again, it didn't do much to faze the taller street-tough. Alex continued by lunging forward with his bat held horizontally, trying to bash the guard against Seifer's chest and push him back. Seifer simply sidestepped him and quickly lunged the tip of his bat into Alexander's left side.

The foam was more dense than Alex expected, and a sharp pain bloomed in the side of his abdomen. Seifer followed it up with a jumping lunge that Alex was completely unprepared for, hitting Alex in the side of the head and sending him sprawling down to the sand. Rai and Vivi cheered from the sidelines.

White-knuckling through the pain and slight confusion, Alex scrambled back onto his feet and glared at Seifer, who looked as smug as ever. Pence cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Alex, focus!"

"Come on," Seifer taunted, "stop playing around and fight!"

Alexander grimaced. "If you say so." He launched into a full run towards Seifer, swinging to knock his opponent's bat aside and move into Seifer's space.

The tall punk deflected Alexander's blow and sidestepped, but Alex was more prepared for it this time. He brought his bat up to protect himself, and luckily managed to catch Seifer's lunge against his hand-guard. Seifer didn't let up right away, though, swinging his bat down multiple times, which Alex barely managed to block each time.

After a few unsuccessful swings, Seifer jumped back and simply stood at the ready, waggling his bat, looking ready to punish another offensive. Alex didn't feel like taking the bait, choosing instead to strafe sideways.

Seifer ran out of patience. He crouched down and leaped high into the air, higher than should have been possible in the real world. Alex was momentarily awestruck as Seifer silhouetted the golden sun, taking a midair lunging pose. "Isn't this–"

He recognized the cue. Alex flung himself forward, not quite rolling on the sand but making himself low at the very least.

"–romantic!" Seifer plunged at an unrealistic diagonal, his boots stomping just where Alex had been a second ago. Alex scrambled to his feet and struck Seifer's exposed back with all of his might in one mighty slash. He finally managed to get a solid hit, making Seifer recoil. Alex was so momentarily proud of himself that he nearly forgot to swing again while he had the advantage.

Very suddenly – "So long!" – Seifer spun around twice and smacked Alex both times. The newbie's feet actually left the sand for a second as he was thrown back, stinging terribly from those blows. Alex growled and charged back into range.

Alex's mind reduced to a state of instinctive action and reaction. Strike, sidestep, block, deflect, swing, swing again, guard-bash! He got close enough to shoulder-check Seifer, shoving the thug back with all of his strength while his opponent was off balance, then finishing off with a two-handed lunge straight into Seifer's ribs.

"Urr-rngh!" Seifer stumbled to one knee, his bat clattering at the edge of the sand. He took one look at his bat, seemed to consider it for a nanosecond, then closed his eyes and scoffed.

Rai and Fuu immediately jumped into the fray. "Seifer's not feelin' so hot, y'know!" Rai insisted.

"Tournament decides," Fuu declared.

Alex's eyes went wide, and he started laughing. It started low and quiet, then built up as he leaned back and threw his hands up. "Ha ha ha ha! Ahahaha…" Pumping his fists and staring at his Struggle bat, he said, "I haven't fought a day in my _life_!"

"Hey, Alex!"

He turned around to see Pence aiming a camera at him, at just the right angle to catch Alex standing to one side while Rai and Fuu pathetically tried to cover up their downed leader.

Instantly, this all seemed incredibly familiar.

There was a quiet _click_.

Then something fast and gray spun around Pence, and the next second the camera was gone. Alex watched as the spindly white creature hopped towards the furthest exit to the Commons, stretching and bending unnaturally as it did so.

"Oh no," Alex breathed.

"What was THAT?" Hayner demanded, rolling one shoulder.

"The thief?" Olette proposed. The three of them charged after it to get Pence's camera back.

Alex just stood there a moment longer, dumbstruck. "No…" But as he saw his three new friends disappear around the corner in hot pursuit, he knew he couldn't just let them go alone.

* * *

Why was this happening? Why was the photo-thief event taking place _outside_ the simulated Twilight Town? Now that the others were some distance ahead of him, he could think about these questions freely.

Except one question quickly dominated all the others: _What_ _happens if I try to_ _fight a Nobody?_

Possible answers so far weren't good.

Alex already knew where to go: Through the hole at the other end of the Common, into the spooky woods, and up the hill towards the old mansion. The forest was larger, more spacious, and more uniform than Alex had expected based on the game. He felt lucky to have found the path that led to the clearing at all. Hayner and the others were nowhere to be found – he'd heard their voices in the forest, but they weren't here.

The Nobody wasn't around either, actually. Alex was standing right in front of the locked iron gate and he was the only one around. How…?

A strange wobbling sound made his spine shudder, and Alex whipped around to see the Dusk flying up the path from the forest. It came to a stop a few feet away and landed on the ground, swaying back and forth.

Nervous but somewhat amused, Alex gripped his Struggle bat and grinned at the Dusk. "Oh wow, you were so busy dodging and weaving through the trees that I got here ahead of you, huh? Weird."

Alexander's cocky grin fell with each second that passed while he and the Dusk stared at each other. Despite everything about Twilight Town being so very _real_ now, the Nobodies were… well, still more physical than before, but in a way lacking a certain _texture_ about them that made them seem less 'real.' It was unnerving to look at, especially when they constantly twisted and swayed, as if they'd disappear if they stopped moving.

The young man took a step forward and instantly regretted it. The closer he got, the more he could almost see the round, jagged-mouthed monster head beneath the Dusk's unzipped white hood…

_Do not interfere with our search._

Alex jolted, startled. "W-What?!"

The Nobody somersaulted through the air, landing in front of Alex and swiping at him with a flailing headbutt. The blow hit his chest harder than any Struggle bat could manage, and Alex was knocked to the ground immediately.

Pushing himself up, Alex grimaced and stared at the Dusk, which was jumping around the clearing and sashaying ominously in its odd demeanor. "W-Why…?" Alex mumbled as he shakily got his feet under him. "Why me…?"

The Dusk got close but didn't immediately attack. Alex took the opportunity and, with a yell of effort, chopped downward with his Struggle bat.

His 'weapon' slid off the Nobody's form like it was a waterslide. The Dusk wobbled and bent around Alex's bat like it was simply air moving out of the way, showing no sign of being remotely affected by any damage. It then spun around and swiped with its spindly arms.

Alex blocked, but there was an ominous _choff_ sound as the foam blade tore, leaving only a jagged blue stub at the end of the handle. Alex dropped the now useless toy and backed away. The Dusk stood in place and continued to bounce and weave, as if daring him to have a backup plan.

 _Right about now, Roxas would get a Keyblade edited into his hand,_ Alex thought. He looked at his own, empty hand. No such luck. And clearly only a Keyblade (or a Keyblade wielder's allies?) could defeat Nobodies.

So… he was a goner.

No, that couldn't be!

One day into Kingdom Hearts II and he was going to get KO'd by a single Dusk?!

Said Dusk was done waiting and was now flying towards him in a spiral, a charging strike. Alex clenched his fists and brought up his arms in front of his face. "Not like this…!"

A brief whirling sound heralded something spinning through the bars of the locked iron gate at high speed, cutting off the Dusk's path and making it jump back. Both Alex and the Dusk looked at the object where it landed: A sword in the shape of a demonic wing of red and purple hues, its blade stabbed into the soil just a few yards away.

Alex knew _exactly_ what that was.

He looked to the mansion. Nothing different to be seen. He looked at where the Soul Eater landed. He dashed over and yanked it out of the ground. It felt very peculiar, like the handle was writhing beneath his palm. And the blue eye in the hilt staring back at him was a detail Alex had never really thought about before this moment.

But it was the actual Soul Eater. Riku's Soul Eater. A weapon of darkness, if his knowledge wasn't about to fail him now. Even the Dusk paused to see him wielding this sword.

Alex, huge nerd that he was, adjusted his stance to what he remembered Riku's was like, the blade held above at his side with his off hand outstretched. He glared at the Dusk. "How d'ya like me now?!"

He charged at the Dusk, swinging the Soul Eater down and across the Nobody. It sliced through and made the Dusk visibly wobble and recoil in pain. Alex followed it up with an upward slash and then a charging lunge, sending the Dusk flying back.

Alex had no idea what was going on, but it felt pretty good! He yelled with all of his fighting spirit and charged the Nobody once more, flying into a berserk frenzy of flailing slashes that didn't give the Dusk even a second to respond.

There was a burst of sound and light. The Dusk disintegrated. Alex stopped swinging and stepped back, wide-eyed as loot exploded onto the ground. Gold diamonds of munny, green orbs of health that flew towards Alex's body and soothed his bruises, and photographs. A dozen or so photographs fluttering down to the grass. There was a _clack_ as Pence's instant camera materialized and landed as well.

Alex looked down at the Soul Eater in his hand, just in time to watch it disappear in a rush of black inky smoke and electricity, making him flinch. He turned and looked at the mansion through the gate. Still no one to be clearly seen through the window curtains. Alex just gave the mansion a wide shrug and said, "Thanks, I guess??"

He was grateful, to be sure. But this whole encounter had just thrown more questions onto the pile of questions.

The boy sighed and knelt down to the ground to pick up the munny and stolen photos. The question still lingered in his mind: Why? From looking at them, the photos were of random townspeople, with nothing in common. There was even one of Hayner, Pence, and Olette posing in front of this very gate...

"…Oh."

* * *

Atop the clock tower, high above the rest of Twilight Town, a black-robed man in red hair stood waiting. A flock of Dusks and Assassin Nobodies flew around him, occasionally dropping photographs into his hand.

The man rolled his eyes as he inspected the photos. "Seriously, guys? What am I supposed to do with these? You're supposed to be looking for XIII, not pictures of him. Geez…"

With a flick of his hand, the two photographs he was holding caught fire, and he scattered them to the wind as they burned into nothing.

"Hey," Axel said out of the blue, "has anyone felt… 'weird' today? Like today's different from yesterday?"

There was no audible response from the flock of Nobodies.

Axel chuckled. "Right, right. Dumb question to ask." Another two photographs swooped by his face, and on reflex he caught them in each hand. He glared at them, not expecting to find anything, but what he saw gave him pause.

In his left hand was a copy of a photograph of three teens in a cheesy pose in front of the old mansion's gate. In his right hand was the exact same photo… but Roxas was posing with them.

The man couldn't help it; he started to laugh. The photos burst into flames, instantly ash in his hands. "Oh, those bastards…!" he chortled, halfway between something resembling anger and mirth. He stared into the setting sun with new purpose. "Well. That narrows it down by _half_ , doesn't it?"

* * *

"Why did you have me intervene?"

Beneath the old mansion, in the secret laboratory, DiZ and his apprentice discussed while the former watched data scroll by on the dozen monitors of his terminal. DiZ barely turned his head at all to reply to the black-robed apprentice behind him. "We cannot have them attacking random civilians, now can we?"

"This is practically the home of Nobodies," the black-robed man pointed out. "They've been operating in the shadows of this world for at least a year. If they want to blow their cover, that's their problem. But that stunt just gave away our position."

DiZ was quiet for a moment. "It was a stroke of luck that the photographs distracted them. It's all just data to them. They've bought us another day."

The black-robed man shook his head. "I can't shake the feeling you wanted me to protect that guy in particular."

"Oh?" DiZ replied with surprisingly renewed interest. "Did you sense something from him?"

Folding his arms, the man thought for a moment and replied, "…Yeah. Couldn't put my finger on it at first."

"Is that why you lent him your blade? Instead of dispatching the Dusk yourself?"

The man reached his hand out and, in a burst of smoke and electricity, the Soul Eater appeared in his hand. "It was a less obvious way to do it than revealing myself," he explained.

DiZ chuckled knowingly. "I see. And now that the boy's hand has touched your blade, what do you sense now?"

The apprentice was quiet for a long moment, staring down at the demonic blade. Then he said, "There's almost no light in him. It's like… the tiniest spark is all that keeps him one step above a Heartless."

The one uncovered eye of DiZ widened, and he let out a low hum of concern. Quietly, he murmured, "So that was the cost…"

"Huh?"

DiZ looked back over his shoulder. "I want you to make sure that the Organization does not get their hands on that boy."

The man let out an unsatisfied grunt, dismissing the Soul Eater in a burst of smoke. "I've got my hands full already with them closing in on Roxas."

"Then perhaps I will call the King back here to aid us."

"Won't that just attract more of the Organization's attention?? At least tell me why this new guy is so important!"

DiZ didn't answer for a moment. "…When I am more certain of the answer, I will tell you. But our enemies won't wait so patiently."

The man let out a sigh and shook his head. "If you're that concerned about him, then why not bring him here? That way it would be easier to protect him. I can do it quietly."

"No," DiZ replied firmly. "I'd rather observe his movements for now. Besides, putting all of our potential assets in one location might provoke an all-out assault." He sighed quietly. "All I ask is that you check on him when you're out on patrol."

The man let out a frustrated growl, but then nodded as darkness swirled around him. "I'll take care of it." A corridor of darkness swallowed him up and dissipated.

DiZ turned back to his monitors and shook his head. With a few key presses, security camera stills of Sora and Alexander filled two adjacent monitors. "One last grand mystery, right at the end. And I may not have the time to solve it. What a burden you have given me…"

The computer chirped, _"Restoration at 12%."_

* * *

Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Alexander made their way through Market Street, returning all the photographs that had been stolen while Hayner regaled them with tales of how they caught and punished the 'real thief.' No one seemed to believe his every word, but the fact that Alex was the one bringing them back – a kid who had only been in town for a single day, after the thefts started – was enough to clear the group of suspicion.

It was particularly satisfying to return the photo belonging to Seifer's gang – a picture of Seifer, Rai, and Vivi taunting a knocked-down Hayner. Hayner expressed a desire to tear it up and burn the shreds, but Alex felt far more smug two-finger-tossing the photo into the sand at Seifer's feet and walking away without a word.

As the four of them walked through the Tram Common, Hayner jabbed Alex in the arm and said, "Well, aren't you a good luck charm! In one day, you've cleared our good names and knocked Seifer down a peg!"

Alex fought back a smile and turned his gaze downward shyly. "Sorry I kinda stole your thunder there."

Hayner folded his arms. "Don't get me wrong – I totally had the advantage." Alex caught Pence and Olette making faces out of the corner of his eye. Hayner continued, "But even if I'd won, we'd just be back at it again tomorrow. The fact that YOU knocked him down? For US? Ohhh, that's gonna change things around here."

Alex grimaced a bit, and Olette put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yeah… the Disciplinary Committee's probably gonna be a bit aggressive to you from now on. Just watch out for that."

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem," Pence said. "Did you SEE that fight? Alex read him like an open book! And you said that was your _first_ fight ever?"

There was an easy way to explain the outcome of that fight: Alex knew what to expect from Seifer's fighting style through playing Kingdom Hearts II multiple times. But he couldn't say that out loud. He felt the need to come up with a convincing lie that was still technically accurate. "I've… played a lot of fighting games? Done some reading on weapons and fighting styles…?"

Hayner smirked and put a hand to his chin. "I see… All theory but no practice. Book-smart but not street-smart."

A little indignant, Alex replied, "What, and you're 'street-smart'?"

"Of course, are you kidding me?! My street-intelligence is through the roof!" Hayner declared with a high fist-pump. He then slouched and added, "My book-smarts, though…"

"Five days until the report's due," Olette cut in.

Hayner looked ready to tear out his hair. "Aaaah, don't remind me!" That got Pence and Olette laughing.

They continued walking and chatting up the hill and down the side street towards the Usual Spot. Hayner turned around and walked backwards, facing Alex. "Seriously though, I'm glad you chose to hang out with us today. If Seifer gives you any trouble, you just let us know and we'll back you up. Far as I'm concerned, you're one of the group."

"You were really brave," Olette agreed.

It was a bit much for Alex to take. "Guys, guys. I was just… another person in the right place at the right time."

"Hey, sometimes that's all it takes," Hayner replied with a nod. "That and stepping up when it counts. And you did that."

As they walked through the metal gate leading back to their hangout spot, Alex rubbed the back of his neck and quietly mumbled, "Thanks…" before walking in after them. He pushed the curtain aside just in time to see Pence filling a small picture frame atop the radiator with the photo that belonged there. As he looked around, Alex realized that he hadn't actually set foot inside until this very moment.

Olette, seated on the ratty green loveseat (that, on closer inspection, only had one decent-looking cushion), gestured over to a nearby crate. "C'mon, Alex. Go ahead and take a seat."

Trying not to beam too brightly, Alex sat down and idly chatted with his newfound friends.

* * *

Miraculously, it turned out that the sun did set in Twilight Town. Shortly after the clock tower chimed and the evening trains rolled by, the darkening skies streaming through the grate in the ceiling told the teens that it was time to split up and go home.

Alex was the last to leave, giving him time to have a moment in the Usual Spot. Wondering if in some mirror reflection of this world, Roxas was standing there too.

The walk home was a little bit dissociating, seeing a town he was so familiar with – yet such a stranger to – morph and change and wind down as he walked through it. Street lamps turned on, lights shone through the windows of shops and homes, and the tram turned on headlights to make sure everyone still left on the street would know it was coming through. A stroke of luck meant that the tram was passing by in a way that let Alex hop on and ride it most of the way back to his apartment.

When he finally arrived at the base of the stairs, the deep red and violet in the sky had given way to the last bits of navy blue before night fell completely. The climb up the steps to his second-story apartment were heavy and made Alex feel weary. By the time he unlocked his door and walked through, he felt completely drained.

Inside was exactly what he feared. It was still his apartment, a slice of the real world inside this video game come to life, and he was the only one in it.

He cooked a pot of mac 'n' cheese for dinner.

His old Frankenstein of a computer still existed, but some poking around on it revealed that there were no games installed and no real internet connection save for a very limited municipal network sort of thing that Alex couldn't wrap his head around. The TV would turn on, but there were only about a dozen channels and they all ran out of content to broadcast well before midnight. And the content was mostly local Twilight Town programs.

This was no vacation. This was no dream. Alexander had truly found himself in another world, with no explanation and no way back.

He'd fought a Nobody, but only because someone (Riku??) had been kind enough to spare him a beating.

What was more, events from the game were happening in parallel here. Alex had no way to be sure, but if today truly matched Roxas's first day from the game… That meant he'd arrived here at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II's story. Which meant in five days, Sora would awaken.

Alex wanted to help. He wanted to join that adventure so badly. But he had no idea how.

And he didn't believe he deserved the honor.


	2. The 2nd Day

The oppressive golden light of morning and the rattling of the train tracks invaded Alexander's bedroom. The boy groaned and pulled his comforter tighter over his head.

This still wasn't a dream.

A Dusk had slammed him in the chest yesterday.

Alexander's entire mood could be summed up as "frustrated and conflicted." That mood hung over him like a dark cloud as he went through his morning routine, grooming and having cereal for breakfast. There was no getting over it: On the one hand, this was the coolest thing ever, but on the other hand, he was exposed to all the dangers that this multiverse had to offer. With none of the cool weapons to defend himself. If he'd had a Keyblade on top of everything, this would have been the best thing ever.

He did try to summon it once. Held out his hand and concentrated and everything. Believed with all of his heart that his light would manifest into a unique weapon to slay the monsters of the dark.

No such luck. All he succeeded at was grasping at air in a lonely apartment.

Defeated by his own expectations, Alex locked up his apartment and headed out for the Usual Spot. It wasn't like there was much else to do around here.

* * *

When Alex pushed aside the curtain to the Usual Spot, Hayner turned and pointed at him dramatically. "You too, Alex!"

The real-worlder winced from the mild whiplash the sheer lack of context gave him. "…Me what?"

Hayner pumped his fists and pointed up heroically towards the sunlight streaming through the ceiling grate. "We're all going to the **beach**!"

_Oh, right._ An hour of remembered gameplay fast-forwarded through Alexander's mind. Were Data-Hayner and real Hayner having the same desires at the same time? That would mean that this was the 2nd day, and the clock was ticking. Alex slumped a little at the thought. He was so unprepared…

The palpable absence of enthusiasm made Hayner spin around to look at everyone gathered there. Olette and Pence were awkwardly silent too. "…No?" Hayner asked.

Olette squinted at him. "I'm sorry, did you have a secret vacation budget you forgot to tell us about? Because the last time I checked, we barely have enough for ice cream."

Alex thought about the contents of his wallet… which were no longer paper bills and silver coins, but those golden gem pieces known as munny now. Last night's count revealed that he had about 200 munny to start, and the Dusk had dropped another 90. Alex shook his head in Hayner's direction.

"Well, last time I checked, I'm a street genius!" Hayner declared obstinately. "So I'm 100% confident we can make this happen _today_. I just need to know whether you're in or not."

"Wow, you're actually asking us?" Pence said with a teasing chuckle.

Olette let out a sigh and dropped her stern demeanor, actually giving Hayner a small smile. "Honestly… it sounds like fun. If we can really go there today, I'm all for it."

"Awesome!" Hayner cheered. "Pence?"

"Heh heh. Like I'm gonna want to miss this," Pence chuckled.

Hayner spun around and grinned at the newcomer to the group. "And you, Alex? How about it?"

Feeling rather put on the spot – and stunned by such thoughts as _The beach actually exists_ _and we could be going there today_ _??_ – Alex felt like all he could do was take a step back and mumble, "Uh… Never really been a beach person…"

"Aw, c'mon!" Hayner insisted. "I'm counting on you for the plan!"

Alex caved immediately, putting his hands up. "Alright, y'know, why not? Happy to help."

"YyyyyyyYES!" Hayner cheered again. "Okay, we're burning daylight! Let's GO!" And he charged out of the Usual Spot at a sprint.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle and looked back at Olette and Pence. "Every day, huh?" he laughed.

"Welllll, not _every_ day," Pence admitted. "You missed this moment earlier where he got all somber about the fact we're going to grow up and grow apart eventually…"

Olette nodded. "Yeah… Hayner's all about making memories while we've got the time." She put a hand to her chin. "Not strictly speaking a bad thing, but…"

Alexander chuckled good-naturedly and nodded back. "Well, whatever this turns out to be, I'm in."

* * *

"You want me to _what_?"

Hayner pointed at the papers pinned to the notice board down in the Tram Commons next to the accessories shop. "You handle the cargo climb job! I take care of putting up Struggle posters, Pence helps organize and clear junk…"

Pence tilted his head at the notice board. "I guess? …Better than exterminating bees."

"…and Olette can help deliver the mail!"

Olette peered at the job notice thoughtfully. "Maybe if I got on one of those skateboards lying around…?"

Hayner looked to each member of the group with a determined smile. "Remember, our combined munny's at 1740, and we need 4800 for train tickets and food budget. If each of us earns about… seven-hundred and… ah, let's just call it 800 – before the last train leaves, we're set!"

Pence shrugged and said, "Let's say we meet up on Market Street after lunch. If we've got the cash, then we can all get our beach gear from home and then get on the train. Sound good?"

"Nonono, wait!" Alex insisted, swiping outward with his hands. "I mean why are you recommending _me_ for the cargo job??"

Hayner folded his arms and closed his eyes contemplatively. "Oh, there's a good reason for that."

Alex waited. "Aaaaaaand?"

"And I'll tell you…" Hayner dashed off. "…once we go to the beach! Later!" He was gone before any of them could raise further objections.

Alex, Pence, and Olette looked at each other, then sighed collectively, then shared a quick laugh at their synchronization.

* * *

Alexander couldn't believe that the representation in the game was real.

This guy had a wooden cart, atop which was a sack taller than he was, wobbling and overflowing the edges of the cart. No wonder he needed help. And it was now his job to push it to the penultimate hill of Market Street and into the storage unit up there.

The game required you to whack it up the hill as a sort of hidden tutorial for balancing attack combos and avoiding enemy revenge-breaks. But standing in its shadow, Alex didn't feel like that would be terribly productive, or easy on his arms. So he decided the best and only strategy was the old-fashioned way: Getting behind it and pushing.

Bad idea.

The entire trip up the hill – which wasn't even that much distance! – Alex felt like any second the bag was going to tip back and crush him. The only way he could push the heavy thing up was to either put his shoulders into it (getting his face and chest poked by the boxy contents of the bag) or his back. And obviously at no point during the climb could he take much of a break, because if he let go or stopped putting pressure on the cart and bag, they would start to slip back.

It felt like a miracle when the ground evened out and Alex could just push it normally the rest of the way into the garage. Thankfully, there were workers inside who took care of removing and storing the giant sack, which left Alex free to guide the now much lighter cart back down the hill.

The man who'd hired him was frowning when Alexander, panting for breath, returned to his presence. "I was hoping it would be done a little faster… But here."

He handed Alex 10 munny, which the boy put into his wallet. "Oh… Okay."

The man gestured into the nook he was standing next to, where more gigantic sacks were waiting. "I've got plenty more cartloads to move if you still want to help. We're basically going to be at this all day. Say, if you move them faster, I'll pay you more. How does that sound?"

Alex rolled his shoulders and made a show of cracking his knuckles – though they didn't actually crack, he just kind of pushed his fists into his palms a bit. "I'm at your service," he muttered.

* * *

The contents of the bags, the reason they had to be moved, why they couldn't find a better cart for the job – over the course of the morning, Alex only ended up with the smallest clues to answer these questions. Storage for a business of some kind. Something about property ownership and an urgent need to move to a new location. Not having enough time to find a better solution. He only caught snippets of conversation between the boss and his employees, and Alex was too exhausted most of the time to really pay attention.

At least with a little practice Alex was able to get his time down. Turned out giving it a hard push was effective at getting the cart up the hill in short bursts. Only rarely was he able to push a cart up the hill in under 60 seconds, but soon Alex was reliably earning about 30 to 50 munny per cart. Though with some time inbetween for rest and water, it still wasn't exactly fast.

While he was working on the carts, occasionally Olette would come rolling down the hill, wearing a helmet and kneepads and a messenger bag, handing out envelopes to people at high speed. Alex himself got an envelope one of those times before he'd even realized it'd happened. Junk mail, but still.

Though at one point, his worst fear came true. The cart caught on something after a hard push and jostled the bag, sending it swaying forward then backward and over the edge of the cart. Alex managed to catch it with his entire upper body, and barely avoided buckling his knees under the weight as he tried to get it back on the cart.

Just shy of two hours later, when his temporary boss left for lunch, Alex had probably pushed up more than two-dozen carts and earned exactly 780 munny. Despite taking his outer layer off, he was very sweaty and every muscle was burning. He decided to call it quits there and head back down Market Street.

The meeting place was the intersection where Market Street met the back alley leading to the Usual Spot. Pence was already there. When Alex arrived, Pence looked at him with surprise and chuckled, "Wow, you look beat!"

"I am," Alex said simply, slumping against the opposite wall of the alley. "How was 'garbage day'?"

"Oh, uh…" Pence looked weirdly awkward. "I got done pretty quick, so I… had to find another way of making money."

"Did you go with the bee job?" Alex asked with a tired laugh.

"Ugh, no!"

Hayner and Olette came by soon after, Hayner a little scuffed up from running and climbing all over the Tram Common and Olette taking off her skateboard helmet. Despite his current state, Hayner had an unstoppable smirk on his face. "Alright party people, whadda we got?"

* * *

"And all together, that makes…" Olette hefted the pouch they had pooled their funds into. "Eight thousand, one-hundred munny!"

Hayner and Alex both boggled at that. "WOAH!! Weren't we only aiming for 5k?!" Alex half-yelled.

Pence scratched the side of his head awkwardly. "IIIIII sorta maybe kinda… asked my relatives for extra cash."

"Oh, sweet!" Hayner exclaimed.

Olette ran her hand through her helmet-hair to try and straighten it out. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of us working all morning?"

"No, this is great!" Hayner was quick to jump in. "Between his loaded relatives and the cash we made, we can afford to buy more than pretzels!"

Olette looked up thoughtfully. "Some beach barbecue sounds _really_ good right about now…"

"And you know what I'm thinking to top that off?" Hayner added, then pointed at her. "Watermelon."

Alex clapped once. "I'm in. Sold."

Pence chuckled nervously. "Glad we're gonna make the most of it, because I had to promise my uncle and aunt that I'd spend more weekends at their second home, so… Consider this an advance on the hard work I'll be doing next month instead."

Hayner faux-solemnly placed a hand on Pence's shoulder. "We will honor your sacrifice." Then he was beaming brightly again. "With watermelon! Alright, get your gear and meet in front of the station in 15 minutes! GO!" And he was off like a shot again. Olette shook her head and got back on her skateboard, sailing down the hill.

As Pence started to walk away, Alex asked, "Hey, uh, Pence?"

"Yeah?"

Alex only had the game to go on in terms of how his newfound friends would behave. This was entirely off script. "What, uh… What prompted you to, uh, go the extra mile here?"

"Oh! Well…" Pence gave him a sheepish grin. "Think of it as thanks for helping us out yesterday. Aaaand maybe an apology for getting roped into the cargo-pushing job by Hayner."

Alex blinked. "You did that for me?"

"I mean, for all of us, really," Pence pointed out. "But… I dunno, I was just thinking, 'He's been hanging out with us for a _day_ , after clearing our names and getting my camera back, and we're going to pay him back with _pretzels_?' So… yeah."

The newcomer was just a little bit floored. "…Wow, I… I don't know what to say."

"Don't mention it!" Pence replied with a chuckle. He waved and started making his way down one of the other streets intersecting with the market. "See you in a bit!"

"Yeah… See ya…"

Alexander stood alone with his thoughts for a moment or two.

* * *

He didn't have much in the way of 'beach gear,' just some sandals and swim trunks, both of which he stuffed into a backpack. But there was also a pair of cheap department-store sunglasses that he couldn't find (which would've been helpful even on the first day, in retrospect!), causing a frantic search through the rest of the apartment, out into the messy living room.

After he managed to find them under the futon (for some reason), there was a knock on the sliding glass door leading out onto the small balcony. Not exactly a place you'd expect a knocking to come from. He jerked upright and looked over. The tall blinds were drawn halfway from the left, and he didn't see anyone outside. But the knocking came again.

Again, from outside a second-story balcony was not a normal place to hear a knock.

Very, _very_ warily, Alex side-stepped over to the glass door. The knock happened one more time, and on this occasion Alex noticed a little black glove reaching over and tapping on the other end of the glass outside.

Alex unlatched and opened the door just a crack, still keeping the grate between him and the city ambiance outside. "Yyyyyyello?" he called out like he was answering a phone.

"Don't go to the beach."

It was a cute, high-pitched, slightly raspy voice. The voice was coming from a short black figure pressed up against the opposite corner of the balcony, trying to camouflage against the shadows while staring straight away from the apartment.

Alex.exe stopped working for a few seconds.

But when his brain rebooted and started working again, the chief emotion running through him was some hybrid of confusion and contempt. "Eeeeexcuse me?"

"They might come after you, and you'll be more exposed there," the cute-voiced enigma continued.

In disbelief, Alexander brought his palm to his forehead with a quiet _smack_. "Seriously."

"You know who I'm talking about, don't you?"

Alex dragged his hand down his face with a groan. " _Yes_ … Yes, I do." This was entirely too much for too many reasons. "But… gah, but– but why would they even– Am I even that important? At _all_?" he demanded incredulously.

There was a frozen pause from the stranger in the shadows of his balcony. "…Do you think you're not?" he asked, the warning edge in his tone gone, leaving only sincere concern.

In so many ways, Alex was not equipped to answer that. Glaring out the window with a flat look, Alex muttered, "I'm going," and shut the glass door.

He marched out of the apartment, backpack in tow, and down the steps towards the street with a purpose. But before he made his way to the station, he doubled back and looked up into the alley that his apartment balcony faced. There were no signs of anyone there, nor on any of the nearby rooftops.

Alex frowned and hung his head a little bit as he resumed walking towards the edge of the Tram Common. _I might've just met King Mickey,_ he thought, _and I was a jerk._

* * *

By unanimous agreement, the honors fell to Pence.

"Four student tickets, please!"

Munny was exchanged, and the lady at the counter said, "The train you're looking for is now boarding on Platform 2. I'd suggest you hurry!"

"C'mon c'mon c'mon, let's go!" Hayner shouted, gesturing for everyone to get a move on.

Olette covered her mouth to laugh and then asked, "What's got you so worked up?"

"Because we've come too far to miss it now, duh!" Hayner insisted, then led the others as they jogged towards the boarding platforms.

Alex looked on as they ran with dumbfounded relief. The munny hadn't mysteriously disappeared. This was really happening. He was going to see the beach. He was going to spend half a day at the fabled beach.

He glanced back at the train station's front doors and mumbled, "Sorry, Roxas…" before catching up with his friends.

* * *

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear… what? The train whistle?"

"No, some other guy's voice! Up the stairs!"

"Roxas… give it a rest. It's okay."

* * *

The 'trains' waiting to be boarded were more like high-powered trolleys than full-on trains. There was only one car waiting to be boarded. A conductor-looking man hole-punched their tickets where they were marked 'Departing,' while the yet un-punched spot below was marked 'Returning.' Once their tickets were checked, the teens were free to pick any of the passenger cabin's cushioned seats and await departure.

From the moment that Alex, Hayner, Pence, and Olette sat down with their bags, it was only another few minutes before they were rolling.

Alex climbed up onto his seat and stared out at the window, watching the Tram Common roll out of sight, while other, unknown parts of Twilight Town passed under them as they traveled along the elevated stone railway. None of this had been on the PS2, that was for certain.

"So, Alex, where are you from?" Olette said, breaking him out of his momentarily enchanted state. "If you don't mind me asking."

Somewhat dazed, Alex sat back down and looked at the three friends across from him. "Um…" He couldn't just say 'the real world,' obviously. But on some level, considering how limited they were to this world called Twilight Town, would they even be able to confirm or deny anything he claimed? Within reason? "I'm… from a city called Portland," he said eventually.

"Portland, huh?" Hayner echoed with a sneer, folding his arms and leaning back. "Let me guess, it's a land with a port."

"Uh… I mean, there's a big ol' river that runs through it, but other than that– Waihaihaihaiiiit a minute." Alex sat forward in his seat, pointing at Hayner. "You're not seriously gonna– Coming from the guy who lives in _Twilight Town_ , the town where the sun never rises further than twenty degrees above the horizon!"

"Yeah, and it's the coolest thing ever, right?" Pence joined in, prompting all of them to laugh.

Alex chuckled good-naturedly, sighed, and looked out the window at the golden horizon. The passing buildings were steadily decreasing in height and revealing the coast of a little peninsula sticking out from the mainland of the town. "You're not wrong," Alex admitted. "Cooler than anything I've got in my town." He idly looked down at the floor of the train. "Actually, I never saw much of my hometown, to be honest. Mostly just stayed at home."

Hayner smirked. "Reading books and stuff?"

"Sure, yeah." _More like playing video games and reading fanfics, but sure._ Alex then looked up and gave the trio a faint smile. "Now that I'm here, though, it feels like a good time to make a change."

"So is it just you right now?" Olette asked. "That apartment all to yourself?"

Her tone of voice didn't make it sound like a huge deal, but it was a glaringly obvious logical hole to Alex, and he scrambled to come up with an explanation. "Um… F-Financial problems. Mom couldn't really afford to send all of us, and my sis is still finishing middle school, so… y'know. Just me for now, uh, to house-sit, basically. They'll be here… eventually."

"No one's watching out for you?" Hayner asked with a hint of concern.

Alex thought back to just a little bit earlier, the encounter out on his balcony. "No… There's apparently someone…"

_"Arriving at Beachfront Station. End of the line."_

The boy let out a quiet sigh of relief.

* * *

It was a short walk from the station to the changing rooms at the edge of the beach. After changing into their swimming outfits, they walked along the sidewalk until they came to the stairs leading down to the sand.

Alex could hardly believe what he was seeing, so much so that he had to remove his sunglasses and take it all in. Not only was there an actual beach in Twilight Town, it was _beautiful_. The sun low in the sky cast the water and the sand in a mix of sparkling gold, orange, and violet. The water was gentle and pure, and the sand looked soft and warm. Alex knew there could be only one beach in this entire universe that could beat this, and that was literal worlds away.

No wonder Hayner wanted to go so bad. No wonder it was such a tragedy that Roxas would miss this…

His contemplation was broken by Hayner bounding down the steps in a single leap and taking off at a dead sprint towards the shore. "Last one is a rotten egg!"

Olette laughed and shook her head. Pence rolled his eyes and scoffed, "What kind of taunt is that?"

But Alex jumped down the steps and started running too, laughing as he kicked up sand trying to catch up with Hayner. He wasn't sure why – he was no runner, and he'd never cared in his life about being a 'rotten egg.' But he couldn't stop laughing, even as his legs carried him into the slightly cold waves. He had just… needed to do this, and he was happy. For this moment.

* * *

After most of an hour of playing with volleyballs and looking for crabs and shells and seeing how long they could withstand the waves, Alex and Hayner sat down on their group of towels to dry off. Pence and Olette were back on the street behind them, having taken the shared munny to buy their sweet-and-savory feast for tonight. The sun was starting to make its slow descent below the edge of the water.

Still catching his breath, Alex looked over to Hayner. "You know… You never told me… about why you picked me for that job."

"The what?" Hayner mumbled, laying on his back with his eyes closed.

"The, uh, the cargo job. You said you would explain."

Hayner furrowed his brow and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh. Right." He groaned and sat back up, glancing over at Alex. "Well, I was thinking… In two days, how would you like to join the Struggle?"

Briefly at a loss for words, Alex opened his mouth to speak unsuccessfully a few times, before muttering exasperatedly, "Uh… Hayner…!"

The self-proclaimed street tough smirked. "If you and I both enter, and we face each other in the finals, then no matter who wins we all split the prize."

"How does that relate to the freaking cargo job??" Alex demanded.

Hayner shrugged. "Training!"

No words, again. Alex slumped. "You… fast-talked me into lifting cart after cart of heavy cargo… to get me some _exercise_?!"

"To warm you up!"

Alex facepalmed. "Hayner…"

With an uneasy grimace, Hayner asked, "You don't… want to?"

The boy let out a sigh through his nostrils, not answering for a few moments. "N-Not exactly."

That seemed to calm the tougher teen down a notch. "C'mon, you'll be great. You stood up to Seifer easy."

Alex let out another sigh that drained him of the rest of his air. "That was… That was…"

"What? That was _what_? A fluke? Nah." Hayner smirked again and looked out to the glimmering sea. "You stepped up because you needed to like those fish out there need water."

Skeptically, Alex raised an eyebrow and asked, "Needed what, exactly?"

Hayner gave him a smug but piercing look. "To be a hero."

That stopped the boy cold.

Hayner shrugged, deflating the tension a tad. "Something like that. I'm not exactly a book-smart psychiatrist." He rubbed the back of his head. "All I know is, you looked pretty happy. So I figured the Struggle is right up your alley."

Alex remembered to breathe, only to sigh it all out again. "I don't know…"

"Don't worry!" Hayner announced cheerily, clenching his hands into fists and raising them up near his shoulders. "We can spend all day tomorrow training in the Struggle arts! That way, we've both got the best chance to make each other proud!"

Despite himself, Alexander couldn't stop a warm glow from blooming in his chest at those words.

But then Hayner presented his forearm up at a diagonal towards Alex, clearly expecting the other boy to do the same. "Promise?"

Alex quickly lost what little nerve he had. He looked at Hayner's arm, then down at the sand. His hands stayed in his lap. "I'll– I'll try. I'll try my hardest."

To Alexander's relief, Hayner lowered his arm without losing his smile. "That's all I can ask."

"Heeeyyyyyy!"

Both Hayner and Alex looked behind them to see their other two friends at the top of the stairs leading up from the beach. Olette carried two sizzling meat skewers in each hand, and Pence was carrying a large watermelon on his shoulder.

The two boys looked at each other and, without further hesitation, raced towards the stairs to have their well-earned feast.

* * *

While the four friends ate at a wooden bench near the wooden railing, just a number of yards away from them, they had a large-eared eavesdropper. He was doing his best to seem casual, lounging on a beach chair beneath a large umbrella, sipping from a fruity drink with a little umbrella in it. But his keen mouse ears had been alert all the late afternoon, and his eyes watched for the telltale signs of his enemies. All while looking the part of yet another tourist.

So overt it was covert!

To the eavesdropper's relief, after their meal, the four teens changed back into their street clothes and boarded the last train to Central Station without incident. Once they were out of the station, Mickey threw on his black cloak and leaped up onto the rooftops to resume his patrol.


End file.
